Manuscript on parchment of a Psalter-Hymnal, written for a Benedictine monastery. On the rear flyleaf, a fragment of the Gospel of Mark, 1:24-31 and 36-42, in West-Saxon translation
Description:
In Latin and Anglo-Saxon., Script: Copied by three scribes, all writing Northern Gothica Textualis Formata. The fragment is copied in careful Anglo-Saxon Minuscule., The decoration consists of 1-line plain initials alternately in red and blue in the text; 2-line flourished initials in blue with red penwork with marginal extensions; 3- and 5-line litterae duplices with partial or full penwork borders (J-motifs) as indicated in art. 2. Litterae duplices also on ff. 116r, 133v, 143v (artt. 3, 6 and 7)., and Binding: Original undecorated leather over oak boards (?). Spine with three raised bands. Traces (?) of one clasp.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Benedictines. and Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Liturgy, Hymns, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Monasticism and religious orders, and Psalters
Manuscript on paper of 1) Thomas Hoccleve, Complaint. 2) Hoccleve, Dialogue with a Friend. 3) Hoccleve, Tale of Jereslaus' Wife. 4) Prose moralization of the text in art. 3, preceded by a prologue in verse. 5) Hoccleve, How to Learn to Die. 6) Hoccleve, The Joys of Heaven, in prose, preceded by a prologue, in verse. 7) Hoccleve, Tale of Jonathas, preceded by prologue. 8) Prose moralization of the tale in art. 7. 9) John Lydgate, Dance of Macabre. 10) Hoccleve, Regiment of Princes
Description:
In Middle English., Script: Written in a current mixed hand, Anglicana with Secretary forms, by a single scribe who wrote in a more cursive and compressed style of script for the prose sections of text., Blue initials, 6- to 2-line, for major text divisions, with several distinct styles of red flourishing. Headings and marginal notes in red; paragraph or stanza marks alternate red and blue. Written by a scribe who paid careful attention to the presentation of the text: stanzas are divided by red lines that extend width of written space; metrical arrangements are marked by brackets in red; notes are added, in red, in outer margins and preceded by blue paragraph marks that are often joined together to form a vertical wavy line. In addition, the scribe has also paid attention to minor ornamental features: decorative flourishes, mostly in red, have been added to many lower margins; ornamental ascenders in top line of text extend into upper margin and are often decorated with red., and Binding: Twentieth century. Tan pigskin, blind-tooled, with title, in gold, on spine: "Hoccleve/ Manuscript/ XV Cent." Edges spattered red.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Hoccleve, Thomas, 1370?-1450?
Subject (Topic):
English literature, English poetry, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper and parchment (trimmed) of 1) Grantz Geantz, a poem explaining the origin of the Giants that occupied England before the arrival of Brutus and the Trojans. 2) A Latin summary of art. 1. 3) Roman de Brut, a chronicle of England from Aeneas to King Edward II (1307-1327). 4) Sequence to the Roman de Brut, dealing with the reign of King Edward III (1327-1377). 5) Unidentified poem in English on the countries and peoples of Asia, Africa and Europe. 6) Account of the relations between Church and State under popes Gregory VII (1073-1085) and Alexander III (1159-1181), and especially of the conflict between King Henry II of England (1154-1189) and Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury
Description:
In Anglo-Norman, English, and Latin., Script: Copied by two hands: Section I is in Gothica Cursiva Antiquior Libraria (Anglicana); Section II, including the explicit formula of art. 3 on f. 118v, is in Gothica Cursiva Libraria (Secretary)., The decoration of Section I consists of 2- or 3-line flourished initials, blue with red penwork. On ff. 1r and 5r (artt. 1 and 3) 5-line flourished initials in the same colours. In Section II art. 4 is decorated with 2-line flourished initials in the same colours but of a different style, with marginal extensions; at the beginning (f. 119r) a 3-line flourished initial in gold with purple penwork; in art. 4 also red headings and red or blue paragraph-marks. Artt. 4-5 are undecorated., and Binding: Twentieth century. Dark blue velvet by C. Lewis. On the spine the 19th-century brown leather title-label has been pasted with the gold-tooled inscription: "LES VEULZ CRONIKES D'ANGLETRE APPELLEZ LE BRUTE - PLUSEURS AUTRES NOUELLES CRONIKES - MS. IN MEMBRANIS". At the bottom of the spine small paper label with printed number 3338. Gilt edges.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Great Britain
Subject (Topic):
Anglo-Norman literature, Church history, English literature, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript on paper (with parchment of poor quality for inner and outer bifolios of each gathering) of a collection of sermons and materials for the construction of sermons
Description:
In Latin., Watermarks: unidentified crown in gutter., Script: Written by two scribes in Secretary script: Scribe 1 (pp. 1-141) uses a looped d; Scribe 2 (pp. 142-502) uses an unlooped d., Flourished initials, 3- to 2-line, red with blue designs and vice versa throughout manuscript. Brackets, initial strokes and underlining, in red, throughout. Opening words or line of each sermon in a careful text hand., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Half bound in brown calf, blind-tooled, with a gold-tooled title ("Sermones") on spine; dark blue cloth sides. Impression of oval label in upper register of spine.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Conrad, of Saxony.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Sermons, and Sermons, Latin
Manuscript on parchment (thick, furry) of Speculum humane salvationis. With Pseudo-Bonaventura, Meditationes de passione Christi
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by two scribes in similar gothic textura bookhands. Scribe 1 (ff. 1r-90v) in brown ink. Scribe 2 (ff. 91r-104v) in a darker ink and more compressed script. A few marginal comments and corrections of 15th-16th centuries., The manuscript originally contained 192 miniatures, of which 29 have been entirely and 1 (f. 53r) partially removed. Those remaining are drawn in light brown ink and tinted in brown and yellow washes with touches of red. The miniatures on ff. 7r-38v have been redrawn in black ink by a second hand. A dirty tan ground has been added to miniatures on ff. 67v and 68r., 2-line calligraphic initials, blue, at the beginning of each chapter and "figura" or type (I-initials, 6-10 lines; at the bottom of the page, e.g., f. 29v, the I breaks and runs beneath the lowest line of text), with elaborate, angular penwork and flourishes, in red (some, e. g., ff. 17r and 21r, with faces). On ff. 91r-104v 2-line blue initials, plain; spaces for some initials, including a 6-line initial on f. 91r, left blank. 1-line red or blue initials, some of the blue with red penwork. Capital A's in each Amen alternate red and blue. Guide-letters for initials throughout. Paragraph marks, blue. Tituli, inscriptions in miniatures, chapter numbers, and pagination in red throughout. Guide-numbers for pagination still visible, especially on ff. 58v-60r., The parchment is worn and dirty, with many torn and slashed folios. Apart from the folios which are missing entirely, the upper portions (with miniatures) on ff. 47, 53 and 57 have been removed., and Binding: Fifteenth century. Dutch or German? Sewn on six double, tawed cords laced into beech boards and pegged in three holes. Endband cores laid in grooves and pegged. There is an inner cover of pink, tawed skin. Over this is a chemise of thin, white tawed skin stitched to a heavy outer, tawed pigskin cover which extends about 25 mm. at the head, 70 mm. at the fore-edge, and was whip-stitched at the edges. The tail edge has been cut down. Two straps are attached to the upper cover and tacked to the extending skin at the fore-edge with a narrow, tawed thong. There are two square marks where pins were attached to the lower cover. The original sewing cords have broken and have been replaced, a part of the book resewn, and part of the chemise pocket cut away. The ends of the fastening straps and the endbands are wanting.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Devotional literature, Latin (Medieval and modern), Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment (thick, furry) of Stimulus amoris, translated into English by Walter Hilton from a Latin devotional text often attributed to Bonaventure. Followed by an anonymous devotional treatise
Description:
In Middle English., Script: Written by a single scribe in bold, upright gothic textura; commentary added in an inelegant cursive (16th century)., One 4-line initial (f. 2v) gold, edged in black, against a blue and red cusped ground with white filigree, attached to a bar border in outer margin, gold, blue, and pink, with white highlights and leafy sprouts at divisions and terminals, orange, blue, red, and gold; the leaves with black hair-spray vines, both straight and in spirals, with small gold leaves and touches of green, filling upper, outer, and lower margins. Six initial I's (ff. 7v, 31v, 36v, 38v, 61v, 83v), 11- to 7-line, gold against blue and red grounds with white filigree and straight hair-spray vines, as above. 2-line gold initials, against blue and/or pink grounds, with white filigree and hair-spray, as above. Gold or blue paragraph marks with blue or red penwork and flourishes. Gold and blue line-fillers, straight, zig-zag, and wavy, some up to 3/4 of a line long. Headings, occasional underlining, and crossing out, in red., Trimming has affected some marginal commentary; f. 108 badly mutilated with loss of text. Leaves at beginning and end of codex stained and repaired., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Red edges. Brown goatskin, blind- and gold-tooled.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Jacobus, Mediolanensis, active 13th century.
Subject (Topic):
Devotional literature, English (Middle), Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper of The Life, Araignment, and Death, of the famous learned, Sir Thomas More Knight: Somtymes Lord Chauncellor of England. On f. iii verso, engraving of Sir Thomas More, half-length, to right, standing, pointing to scroll in right hand
Description:
In English., Watermarks: Heawood, Coat of Arms 481., Script: Written in neat chancery script., Illuminated title-page, f. iii recto: double blue frame with sprigs of berries and leaves on both sides and gilt designs above and below. Gold initial on f. 1r marks the beginning of text., and Binding: 17th-18th centuries. Part of a book rebound in limp vellum, gold-tooled, with holes for two ties.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Great Britain
Subject (Name):
More, Thomas, Saint, 1478-1535. and Roper, William, 1496-1578.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript on paper of George Waymouth (fl. 1587-1611), The jewell of artes, an unfinished technical handbook of navigation, inventions, fortifications, surveying, gunnery, etc., consisting of short textual parts and extremely numerous full-page technical drawings and diagrams of high quality
Description:
About the author, a somewhat mysterious navigator, scholar and engineer, see Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, v. 51 (2004), pp. 777-778. He returned in 1602 from his unsuccesful expedition to discover the Northwest Passage, presented the King in 1604 with two versions of his treatise The Jewell of Artes and undertook in 1605 a new expedition to the American East coast, landing in Maine., In English., Script: Written by one hand in Gothica Cursiva Libraria (Secretary)., and Binding: Original armorial (rebacked). Brown calf over cardboard, both covers gold-tooled with a seme pattern of flowerets, corner pieces and a central piece with the arms of King James I. Spine with six raised bands and red title-label with inscription "JEWELL OF ARTES".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Waymouth, George.
Subject (Topic):
English literature, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Military art and science, and Navigation